I put our newest Fall Fun To Do List 2014 on our refrigerator and took down our Spring/Summer 2014 To Do List. I glanced at all of our crossed out activities and realized that we had a beyond awesome summer! Here's a look back at all of our fun and completed activities the last few months.
Fishing
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/elizabeths-birthday-fishing-weekend.html
Berry Picking
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/lets-go-berry-picking.html
Adventureland
We took the kids for their very first time and had a blast! Read about our day here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/maxs-birthday-weekend.html
Fireworks on the 4th
Read about our fantastic fourth here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/4th-of-july-spectatcular.html
Walker-Johnson Park
Read more about our park experience here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-spring-like-weekend.html
Circus
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/03/spring-break-2014.html
The Heritage Carousel at Union Park
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/05/memorial-day-weekend.html
Swimming at Ashworth Pool
This is our favorite pool to swim at in the summer and we went several times!
Minneapolis
Read more about our Labor Day weekend getaway here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/09/labor-day-weekend-getaway-twin-cities.html and here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/09/labor-day-weekend-getaway-twin-cities_2.html
Hiking at Jester Park
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/05/memorial-day-weekend.html
Ledges State Park
Our favorite place to hike! Read more about our adventure here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/love-these-summer-weekends.html
The Bridges of Madison Country Tour
Such a great day! Get all the info here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/05/weekend-fun-exploring-madison-county.html
Pammel Park
We visited this park the same day we did our Bridges of Madison County tour. See above link for details about Pammel Park.
Pella
Impromptu day trip turned out to be one of our funnest days! Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/another-road-trip-kinda-weekend.html
Omaha Children's Museum
Read more about our Mother's Day weekend getaway to Omaha here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/05/weekend-getaway-omaha-ne.html
Zoos
The Omaha Zoo (http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/05/weekend-getaway-omaha-ne.html)
Niabi Zoo (http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/maxs-birthday-weekend.html)
Minnesota Zoo (http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/09/labor-day-weekend-getaway-twin-cities.html)
Como Park Zoo (http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/09/labor-day-weekend-getaway-twin-cities_2.html)
Blank Park Zoo (many, many times)
Southside Sculpture Park
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-spring-like-weekend.html
The Rose Garden at the Art Center
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-catching-up-on-life-week-part-2.html
Hiking Trails
We've walked along numerous trails this summer! Our favorites are the Neal Smith Trail and the Greenbelt Trail.
Planting flowers
We did an entire gardening/planting flowers day for daycare. Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/gardening-day.html
Big Creek
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/elizabeths-birthday-fishing-weekend.html
Swimming Lessons
Max did a great job, can swim on his own, and is advancing to the next level. Harrison was quite scared of the water, but loved his instructor. If you're in the Des Moines metro, I highly recommend looking into swimming lessons at Dowling Catholic High School in the summer.
Soccer
The initial plan was to have the boys on the same soccer team, but as usual, they changed their minds. Instead, we used our daycare Field Days to learn some soccer techniques. Read more about our Field Days here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/field-day.html, http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/field-day-2.html, http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/field-day-3.html
Principal River Walk
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/week-in-review-july-14-july-18.html
I-Cubs Game
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/week-in-review-june-9-june-13.html
Camping in the Backyard
Elizabeth and I slept indoors while the boys slept outside on a cool night. Read more about their backyard camping adventure here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/backyard-summer-camp-out.html
5th of July Resting
Best idea ever from the oldest mini after our super fun Independence Day! Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-day-of-rest.html
Birthday Bash!
Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/birthday-bash-weekend.html
Movie In The Park
We only got to stay for about 30 minutes of the movie due to tired minis, but it was a fun evening nonetheless! Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-catching-up-on-life-week-part-2.html
American Legion Spray Park
Legion Park in West Des Moines opened this spray park last summer, but we only got to briefly visit it once. This summer we dedicated an afternoon to running through the water. Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/06/love-these-summer-weekends.html
Downtown Farmer's Market
One of the best Farmer's Markets in the U.S. is right here in Des Moines! We hit up the very first market of the year for fresh veggies, pastries, and the mini's fave treats (mini doughnuts and flavored popcorn). Read more here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/05/weekend-lets-have-little-fun.html
Mud Painting
Not only did we do mud painting, but we had a Mud Pie day! Read about mud painting here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/03/week-in-review-march-24-march-28.html
Read about the daycare's Makin' Mud Pies Day here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/05/makin-mud-pies.html
Walk Around Grays Lake
Only 3 activities we didn't get around to: the Urbandale 4th of July carnival (we got a bit too busy), Maquoketa Caves State Park (I put it on our Fall To Do List with high hopes of going, but our weekend's our filling up quickly), and Dyersville (already on next summer's list) and I am totally content with that! We had a beyond amazing spring and summer exploring and adventuring and are continuing that trend throughout our fall. One of my favorite parts of doing these lists is going over it with the minis. Everything from making the list and the planning to completing and sharing our favorites to having my kid's friends talk about our To Do's as well. Love, love, love this tradition we've created!
